US Supreme Court Sets Aside Sentence of Wyoming Teen

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court has vacated a life sentence for a Wyoming teenager in the 2009 home invasion killing of a Sheridan man. The court this month sent Wyatt Bear Cloud's case back to the Wyoming Supreme Court for reconsideration.

Bear Cloud was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of Sheridan businessman Robert Ernst. Bear Cloud was 16 at the time of the killing. Two other teens also were sentenced to life. The U.S. Supreme Court this summer threw out mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders.

The ruling doesn't forbid such sentences but requires that sentencing judges consider other options. State prosecutors say the Wyoming Supreme Court could order a new sentencing hearing for Bear Cloud.

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